The Troublesome Color Green
by Cheeno
Summary: This is a story about a girl with insecurities, and a pokémon who needs her. It's about friendship, even though said friends might be heavily irritating. It's also a story about the color green, about its distinct significance in life.
1. In Which She Contemplates the Color

I've started a new story, and I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Sorry if the first chapter is a bit depressing, it will lighten up later :) And I know it's a bit short - can't do anything about that, but maybe the next chapters will be just a bit longer.

I want to thank my amazing beta Reppad98 for saying yes to proofread this, and already giving me great advice, since I am blind for this story now, not able to see for myself what works and what is not good. So thank you, you're amazing!

 **Note:** For those who are interested, at the bottom of this chapter is an explanation to why such a scenario can occur in nature, why it actually is beneficial for all parties involved (even if it is sad).

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, as you already knew.

 **Chapter 1 – In Which She Contemplates the Color Green**

She had lost the Wallace Cup. She had retained the smile, forced it upon the surface of her face as a permanent fixture, for her friends. For Dawn. Her loss was still a failure. She was the experienced one, with the clear advantages and _she should have won_. She was not ready to face _them_ yet, see the disappointment, feel the pity, or Arceus forbid, resentment. The pathetic girl who lost to a newbie, no longer offering the challenge to be a worthy rival. Well...that last train of thought was probably her insecurities speaking, painting the future in black. It wouldn't be anything that bad, but she was still a pretty sad mess. Thus she found herself trudging alone through this miserable forest, deeper with every step and totally lost, of course.

With this happy contemplation to occupy her, she stumbled upon a glade. A spot of sunshine in this darkness, and it was occupied. There was a beautiful, green pokémon sleeping in the grass, perfectly comfortable, with a crown of rosy petals around the neck. May would have been sorely tempted to catch it, if not for the five babies sprawled on the forest floor. She backtracked as silently as she could possibly manage, content to watch from the shadows. Discovering a litter of wild pokémon was not an everyday occurrence.

"A new episode of May's expedition, and today we have been graced with this adorable sight. Let's consult the 'dex." Pokedex told her, with minimal volume: " _Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. Chikorita uses the leaf on its head to scan for warmth and humidity in its surroundings, and loves to sunbathe._ "

The Chikorita were cuddling each other, softly nibbling each others leaves and snuggling in the grass. One of them was prone to engage in playful combat. May was impressed. It was easily the strongest of them, clearly the dominant sibling, happy and confident and so healthy. Such a beautiful green color... May wanted it badly. Her picture perfect reverie came to an end as the mother stirred. Lazily she stretched her muscles, before she began standing up and called for her babies.

"Chi?" A soft answer came from a thicket in the outskirts of the clearing, and something stirred inside. The reactions from the five Chikorita were immediate. And aggressive. The leader, top of the hierarchy, the emerald beauty of pent up talent sent a flurry of razor leaves towards the sound. The mother did nothing. A small cry of "ka" was the only response from the undergrowth. May drew a sharp intake of breath, and was too late to stifle the sound, alerting the pokémon to her presence. The mother decided to move, and her litter followed to the other side of the meadow. From the bushes emerged a sixth Chikorita, with shaky steps and a shivering form, even in the heat of the day. It was weak, and sick, and everything a baby pokémon should not be. But this was nature, in which a parent protected the strong offspring, the safe bet. In nature, siblings competed for the parents affection, to enhance the chance of survival. There was no place for an outcast in this world. The outcast was left to die. This little Chikorita, whose colors had lost the radiance of spring, would die. Its small autumn leaf hung in sadness from its head. And after autumn would come winter... Still it tried to follow its family.

May felt her eyes burn, and a heavy feeling settled somewhere inside. She stood up, started moving. She felt numb, but her legs held her. Soon she was in between the happy family and the tiny failure. She could see the panic in those eyes, because now an impossible obstacle was blocking the way to the only kind of comfort this creature knew. May could see how it wanted to cower in fear, but it could not give up: Soon the siblings would be out of sight, and already the mom was gone. Her sight became blurry as she knelt down, even as the little Chikorita thumped into her in a desperate attempt of a tackle attack, to get past her, to the supposed safety beyond. Too weak, feeble but still struggling somehow. It growled as she picked it up and placed it in her lap, wriggled and turned in her hands, shivering, desperate.

May began to hum her childhood lullaby, made her voice soft, reassuring. The struggle stopped, not because of lack of will, she suspected, but a lack of strength. The trembling of a fever continued, even as the creature slipped from consciousness. May shrugged her backpack off her shoulders, and started every treatment she knew, hoping that something would work.

She made camp in that glade, put up the tent and tucked the Chikorita nicely inside a blanket. She stayed aware for the rest of the day, with her patient in her lap and empty bottles of antidotes and potions littering the ground around them. She missed Brock badly, and Solidad's calm presence. She took short naps through the night, but checked on her patient regularly, giving it water and coaxing it to eat. Every little whimper would startle her out of her daze, and she would try again. In the early morning, the little Chikorita finally accepted some food. In the afternoon, its condition was stable. It was awake, calm and used to her presence, although still a bit cautious. By then its family was long gone.

 **Appendix – In Which the Author Explains why her Scenario Occurs in Nature**

This is an explanation as to why the scenario above can happen in nature, for those who are interested. I recently received a review stating that my scenario was unreasonable, and since I have studied biology, I want to explain it (hopefully I don't sound defensive with this). Also, I'm of course up for a discussion on the topic :)

So, first off, both predation and competition are factors which influence natural selection. Competition occurs for a vast variety of resources, such as food, shelter, parental care and a partner. The sentral thing in this is: It does not help to survive if you can't reproduce. Fitness is measured as an individual's contribution of genes to the next generation.

 **Parent:** A parent want to ensure either or both the quality and quantity of offspring. Some organisms have thousands of offsprings, with little investment in each, hoping that a few will survive and be successful. Others have a few, invests more heavily in each, and opts for quality. In addition, egg laying (as for pokemon) costs less than pregnancy and live birth.

Meganium has six children, and as a pokemon, she is egg laying. As such, she probably didn't invest much in each egg, but she wants a few good offsprings. The issue, in addition to survival, is reproduction. An offspring which survived but failed to reproduce has only been a burden, because the resources used for its survival could have helped the other children. For the mother, this means that although she wants as many children to survive as possible, weak and sick babies should be ignored in favor of the more promising children, unless the weak one is the _only_ child (in which case she has no choice anymore).

Thus, a parent reacts to specific stimuli, signals from its offsprings, such as sound, smell, touch, and vision (in birds, the hatchlings signal their parents by calling and the red in their mouths when gaping. More sound and more gaping means more food). If the child for some reason are unable to signal the parent, it will recieve no parental care.

 **Siblings:** The siblings compete for all the resources and benefits the parent can provide. An individual is 100% related to itself, but on average only 50% related to siblings. As such, if two sisters would share a cake, they would want 2/3 for themselves and 1/3 for the other. It does not want the sibling to starve, because it still has inclusive fitness through its sibling. Thus, as long as the siblings reproduce, they have a gain in fitness, even though they individually lose some resources. The sick Chikorita, on the other hand, is probably too sickly to ever get a partner, and will thus be a dead end (no inclusive fitness). Therefore it is beneficial to get rid of it, so that more resources can be distributed to the remaining siblings, helping their survival and making them more attractive (stronger, healthier etc.) in competition for a partner.

 **Chika herself:** She has inclusive fitness from her siblings. Furthermore, she has r=1 (relatedness) with herself, and r=0,5 with her siblings. As she has five siblings, the total relatedness to them is about 0,5*5=2,5. Thus it would pay off to sacrifice herself if that saved her siblings (lose her genes of r=1, but save genes of five r=0,5 (2,5)). As her condition is severe and her chances of reproduction slim, her demise would be beneficial, as her resources would go to her siblings and increase their chances of success.

Thus all parties involved benefits from Chika's demise, either by strengthening the direct and/or inclusive fitness.

Based on this, I believe the possible benefit of predator protection is far outweighted by the direct benefit of less competition, as the sick Chikorita has no fitness value. I also would believe camouflage (they are green, after all) first, and secondly fighting (because they are pokemon), would be the strategy to evade predation, both in which numbers are less important than in a flight strategy (and they would not run very fast on those short legs).

From what I know of nature, the factors described above would result in something like the scene I described. There are many examples of siblings bullying the weaker offspring, or even killing it (in some sharks, who give birth to live young, the bigger siblings even eat the smaller ones before birth). In birds especially there are many examples of siblings being ignored or bullied until they die, because they were a little weaker from the start (I know those examples best, as several of my professors specialized in birds). The inspiration for the scene, however, came from the _T. Rex_ episode in 'Walking with dinosaurs' – that little _T. rex_ baby looks so sad and cute, the image kind of stuck to me.

If you have any questions, you can PM me. I'm always up for a discussion, as I said, and I would be interested in other opinions, arguments or anything I overlooked :)


	2. In Which a Promise is Made

Updating! Am I not nice? Or perhaps it's more like I'm overdue (at least compared with how often I updated before), and I'm sorry. A bit. But mostly I had work to do, and maybe weekly/every second week updates aren't so bad?

Anyway, I don't own pokèmon, my beta is awesome, and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

 **Chapter 2 – In Which a Promise is Made**

There was nothing dramatic about the capture.

On their third day together, with renewed energy, Chikorita followed her around like a lost puppy. She – it turned out to be a girl – would never let May out of her sight, and nuzzled up to every part of her available. Clearly May had been adopted as the new mother, and her new child became more attached to her by the hour. As the night drew near, they shared a meal and the warmth of a bonfire together. May's other pokémon had been fed while Chikorita slept. She was reluctant to introduce her other pokémon to the baby, considering how scared she seemed. May learned that the hard way, yesterday evening, as she had let out her starter. Because her Blaziken was all about care and kindness, but apparently he was very, very scary for a tiny baby grass pokémon, who froze and then _ran_. Luckily, May found Chikorita fast, because camouflage is not a good survival strategy when you are orange and yellow and your surroundings are all a vibrant green.

May stretched her slightly stiff limbs. A small being curled in on itself in her lap, making itself as tiny as possible. Small target – more difficult to spot. She wondered if the aggressive Chikorita had ever had any reason to hide like this, tucked in nice and safe against its mother.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you. You're safe with me, I'll protect you and feed you and _care_ for you. You'll never again be alone, and I will never abandon you." Her fingers stroked the leaf gently.

"Chi..ka" The little creature sighed contentedly, shifting herself even closer. May took a pokéball from her backpack, and carefully let it touch Chikorita. The ball opened, and the baby pokémon disappeared inside to the hum of a lullaby.

On the fifth day, May felt it was time to leave. Chikorita was much better, and now needed other kinds of treatments. Like food and kindness and the steady presence of a caring parent, which did not exclude travelling. Besides, her supplies were running low, and she was still stuck in this forest, still lost. And then there were the others, which probably had been waiting for her a couple of days already at the pokémon center in Azalea Town.

"We are moving today. You need to travel in the pokéball, Chika." May's voice was slightly muffled through her mouthful of breakfast.

"Ka?"

May smiled down at her new pokémon, but a slight frown was etched on her face. "That's good, eat it all. Your color worries me." Chikorita was still just as much autumn as the first day. Then again, it was probably caused by some kind of undernourishment, and therefore would take time to fix. "Of course you look cute anyway, Chika, but I want you to be healthy."

Chikorita nuzzled her hand, all agreement. Her leaf shone in the morning sun, perked upward in contentment.

"I know how it is to be the brown one, though. My friends, you see. I don't have delicate peach hair or emerald eyes. Even Harley has that purple and green going for him. I'm just not much in comparison, you know? All normal." Her limp, drab hair swung in front of her face, as if to punctuate her statement. "But then again, you 're _not_ normal at the moment, and I guess that can be a problem too." Chikorita looked up at her, and nudged her leg gently.

Looking down at her new baby friend, her smile was pulled forth, and she found it a bit easier than before. There was so many things more important than appearance, after all. "You're right, that was enough self pity for one day! We really need to get going, or who knows how they will react when we get there. Especially Harley..." A shudder of impending doom went through her, and the camp was packed up in record time.

Forest hikes can be very enjoyable. Forest hikes endured alone (because her pokémon were mostly secure in their pokéballs) and lost (because said pokémon were even worse at finding directions) equaled a very bad mood. After the glade, May needed one and a half day of bewildered walking to find the right trail and reach the other side.

Finally she scurried through town, one goal in mind: The pokémon center. "Brace yourself May" she mumbled before bravely pushing open the door to trainer heaven.

"MAY! Oh, May, how _could_ you?! Don't you love us anymore?" Purple locks were everywhere. May found herself squeezed up against a cacturne-green outfit, which owner embraced the daylights out of her.

"Harley... Get off! Can't breathe..." He entangled himself from her slightly, still holding her arms in a vice grip, as if she would suddenly decide to disappear. Tears went everywhere. "Thanks, and really, you can let me go. Of course I care about you guys."

"We were worried, May. We expected you here sooner. Four days are stretching it too much, don't you think?" Solidad looked slightly worn, and tired. Her voice was calm, but it created a stony, sinking feeling inside.

May glanced over at Drew. He was silent, glaring back with ferocity. She expected him to _maybe_ be slightly, just a tiny bit angry, but still... "I'm truly sorry. I got lost in the forest." The glare didn't appease one bit.

Solidad relented, though, with a relieved smile. "At least you're safe."

"But May, you kind of stink..."

"Thanks, Harley, that's what over a week of camping does to you." As if he would look any better after a similar ordeal. And she _knew_ how she appeared at the moment. No need for reminders, thank you very much! Time to use the no-nonsense voice."If you'll all excuse me, I really want that shower. _Now_." Harley finally let go.

She got a key and locked herself into a room. Luxuries like a bed and the bathroom bid her welcome. A pity she had to hurry. After the too quick shower she draped herself on the bed, feeling the slightly coarse texture of the blanket. Flipping out Chikorita's ball, she released the pokémon. "Ka!" was happily exclaimed, and suddenly May's hands were full of affectionate, nuzzling pokémon. She had heard stories of Ash's Chikorita, maybe it was a species thing?

"I'm happy to see you too, Chika. I met my friends again." She let the little baby worm herself even closer. It felt nice.

"Chi?" Those big eyes looked at her with unconditional love. Just for being there for her for some days.

"I wish they would look at me more like you do. You could say it was a strained welcome, but... I deserved it, I guess." A bright orange leaf gently stroked her chin, a soothing gesture.

"I'm fine. They'll get over it. Harley probably has already. Solidad also, perhaps." Drew... she had no idea. He had been so silent. Angry. Why angry? She was late, but not to the extent that it would inconvenience him _that_ much. Worried, then. Somehow that thought warmed her a little, from her chest outwards. Drew was worried, and she felt good for it. Oh, she was a _horrible_ person... But at the moment, this slightly wrong feeling was wonderful.

"Say, do you want to meet my friends later?"

"Chi!" Voice not at all soft and adorable anymore, her little baby turned her head away in a clear dismissal.

"I guess that's a ' _way_ later', then, because 'no' is not an option, my friend. Can't have a one person social circle forever, can we?" A bubbly laugh escaped May, even though she tried to keep her stern mask. Chikorita was still facing away in defiance, her little face all scrunched up.

"No worries, I won't leave you, remember?" Chikorita whipped around in an almost sparkly manner, delight radiating from her in waves again. "That's right, shake off your sorrows and move on. Let's do it together, then?"


	3. In Which Confrontations are Unavoidable

I'm ready with a new chapter, after great help from my beta, Reppad98. I hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 3 – In Which Confrontations are Unavoidable**

She came down to the lobby, and they were still waiting, all three of them. These accusing eyes were all looking at her, unwavering. Ah, well, so maybe Solidad had more of a motherly overbearing smile on her face, and really, nothing could shoot down the well of enthusiasm emitted from Harley. The last pair of eyes, though – definitely accusing.

"Finally! Time for our big, happy family reunion! There's this fabulous restaurant we-"

"Um... Guys.. I hate to say this, but.."

"MAY! No!" Drama queen, thy nameth is Harley. As if she had just told them she would die tomorrow, and she didn't even get to finish her sentence.

Drew narrowed his eyes. "But..." His first word to her in weeks, and it was a 'but'.

"I really need to fix some things first." _Please don't kill me_ was repeated like a mantra in her mind.

"That's... unusual." A frown marred Solidad now, and of course she put her hand daintily to Mays forehead. "No fever, though." Nope, no fever. She wasn't the one in need of treatment, after all.

" _May_ says no to food? May _delays_ her meal?" Harley's not so discrete or low voice reached not only Drew, but the rest of the lobby too, and quite possibly the whole town. Why not shout it to the world? _May is a first rate glutton!_

"I _can_ hear you, Harley. Just wait outside or something. Or go on ahead."

"No way! May! What do you even mean with 'fix things', could you've been _any_ more vague? I want to know! I _need_ to kno-."

Drew was still quiet, and his eyes had that blank ignore-Harley-nonsense expression. Solidad thankfully shot down Harley's rant before he could really get in the mood. "May. Please. Is something wrong?"

"Is it one of your boytoys? Oh, it is! A new one? Is he from Sinnoh? Oh, May, I will not stand for that! You can't _do_ that to-" Each sentiment brought Harley closer to desperation, each unraveling boosting an impending rampage.

"Harley! Stop it!" May's face desperately wanted the refuge of her hands, or perhaps her forehead banged repeatedly into the wall would be a nice respite. Always the boy... _toys_. That word never failed to initiate nausea. Why would he assume something like that anyway? But now there was no way she could call Ash with Harley hovering over her. And no way she would let Chika become scarred for life! Deep breath, and her voice would somewhat resemble someone calm. "Not another word, Harley. Solidad, everything is fine. My pokémon needs a check up. It's nothing serious, they are just tired." At least she hoped so. "Could you all please wait outside?"

With much grumbling on Harley's part, and some confusion in general (although Solidad was understanding), they shuffled out. May shot their backs the silent annoyance they deserved, before settling for the task at hand. A gleaming, newly deployed pokéball was retrieved from her purse, and she felt a now familiar clutching sensation in her gut, twisting and squeezing. Although she was fairly certain things were fine – or fine _ish_ , but then there was the color, and the neglect Chika had suffered for who knows how long. "Nurse Joy, could you please examine my pokémon?"

"Certainly May." Just like that the hurt dissolved a little, and her irritation from before became soft and a bit fuzzy. Because that was at least one exclusively friendly face breaking the wave of that overly anxious, hovering 'family' of hers.

She gave the ball a toss. "Come on out, Chika!"

The response after the bright flash was immediate. One look at Nurse Joy's lovely appearance, and Chikorita jumped into May's arms with a startled "chi!" There she snuggled deep in, as out of sight as the accommodations allowed, and refused to resurface.

She must have managed to catch the only pokémon in the world with a fear of Nurse Joy. "I'm so sorry, she's very shy."

"Oh, my! Don't worry about it May, it's fine." May pried Chikorita out of her arms and into a strong grip, while the little body wriggled and turned to escape. Small cries of desperation and a betrayed trust mingled with May's soothing murmurs. Realizing perhaps that she didn't budge an inch, Chika suddenly became all limp and hanging. The good ol' playing dead. "Well..." Nurse Joy contemplated her unusual patient. "From what I can see, your pokémon seems fine. Energized, shiny leaf, smart, although overly cautious, perhaps. The color is interesting though. But really, you have nothing to worry about. Give her some rest, and she will be fine."

She was... fine? No emergency diet or intensive watch to measure health? "Oh..." Chikorita still hung quite 'unconscious' from her arms, and she was...fine.

May's attention was pulled back to reality as Joy started to laugh. Her eyes crinkled in that Nursy fashion which Brock could possibly hold a full lecture about. To May, it was like pushing a button: _Drain away all anxiety, initiate full relaxation mode_.

"Thank you so much!" Chikorita was immediately returned to the 'safety' of her ball. "Could I use the phone?"

"Of course, it's over by the corner."

"Thanks!"

She dialed the number to the pokémon center in Pastoria city. They _should_ be there. What if she just missed them? _Please be there please answer please please-_

"Hello?"

"Hi Nurse Joy, I'm May Maple. Do you have someone named Ash staying with you?"

"Why, yes we do."

Her breath left her in a rush. "Oh... good. Could I talk to him?"

"Just wait a moment, and I'll check if he is in." Friendly, those Joys. One moment, two moments, three – and Drew would have called her childish, but who cares – moments, fou-

"May?"

"Oh, I'm so relieved! Hi, Ash!"

"So... what's up?"

"I really need the recipe for Bayleaf's food. It's a bit urgent..." Because Chika's health depended on this, and _May's_ health was heavily dependent on not being too late to join the others.

"Sure May, no prob! I'll help you! Um... Wait a sec, I'll go ask Brock." Figures..

But in the end, she got the recipe, and said her hastily thanks and greets and goodbyes.

When she walked out the doors, only one person was waiting for her.

She skipped towards him. Maybe, if she just acted as if everything was fine, it would be. "Harley and Solidad went ahead?"

"You will not travel alone anymore." Maybe not.

"O-kay?"

"You're clearly unable to keep yourself out of trouble."

"I am not!" How could he say that? She had gone up against Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, the legendaries of Hoenn, and honestly, it was more Ash attracting trouble than anything. She just... happened to be there to help. And she was still alive to tell the tale, so there! And it was not as if Drew had ever saved her- ok, so _maybe_ once- um, twice, but that gave him no rights to-

"So you'll be travelling with me."

"Excuse me?" Way to go, ordering her like that. "You can't just _assume_... What happened to asking anyway? You know, common courtesy and treating people with resp-"

A roll of his eyes told her exactly how he felt about having to endure her ramblings. "May. _You_ will travel with _me_."

"I thought you craved your private space too much to travel with anyone." She did not mean to say that. Trust her mouth to just spill her thoughts at such moments. But really, the situation! Drew asking her – no, scratch that – demanding that she travel with him.

A wry smirk settled on his face. _Launching alarm bells and flashy lights._ "Why, Maple. Are you going to glomp me?" What? No! Nonono... Of course not! She would _never_ , um, well... Mouth was not working though, in fact, there was no sound whatsoever. "That's a very interesting shade of red on your face, May." Oh The Mortification. There was no way _out_ of this. Really, the best course of action now was probably to flee, after all, they had contests in Sinnoh. Screw personal development, Ash and co. would welcome her back with open arms for sure. "Harley is not coming with us though, so I'll be fine." He dismissed the notion, the situation, the state of her – ugh, embarrassing – so easily. But just like that she could breathe again, although his smirk was still in place.

Deep breath, face cooling. She was fine again, in perfect balance of mind. Serene, even. Nothing could get to her, especially not him, even if he was quite close, and they would be travelling together, alone... Better not finish that train of thought. "How are we gonna lose Harley?"

"Not a problem. Solidad will drag him through that forest of yours – and really May, _ten_ days, was Ilex Forest really _that_ complicated? Anyway, _we_ will leave for Violet City." He seemed far too smug at that last notion. Really, those eyes – oh they were really green – held too much mirth altogether. But what can you do, when your crush invites you on a trip because he thinks you're too stupid and hopeless and clumsy to ever make the journey on your own?


	4. In Which She Endures

My next update might be a little late. I'm not finished with chapter 5 yet, and when I'm done, my beta will read it before I post it. I'll try to do it as fast as possible, though. I hope you enjoy this in the meantime. My amazing beta was a great help as always, and it should be a decent chapter now :)

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon.

 **Chapter 4 – In Which She Endures**

The dinner had been interesting, in a highly troublesome way. Questions about the forest, why didn't she come immediately to dinner, how did she cope with the Wallace Cup loss, how was Sinnoh, how did she like her new Glaceon and so on and so on. It felt never ending. The less sensitive questions were easy to answer. The rest, she avoided. The delay before dinner, why did it take so long? _It's a secret_ (served with a smile). The loss? _Dawn is a good friend, I'm happy for her_ (smile still in place). She didn't feel completely ready yet. The loss was not such a big deal anymore, but she wanted to have her autumn Chikorita to herself for now. Chika was not ready to meet them anyway, and perhaps she could present a fully revived pokémon, color and all, soon.

Shopping had been fun. All the next day she bought supplies, fixed new food for Chikorita, and ran the others ragged until they decided to excuse themselves. And then she had the whole afternoon with her pokémon. It was bliss.

A thought hit her like a bucket of ice water. She had managed to keep her precious pokémon a secret for roughly two days – she would not expose her poor, traumatized Chika to Harley, after all. But she would be travelling with Drew, and there simply was no secrets between companions on the road. At least not of that kind. But she didn't want to tell him how, instead of catching one of the green, healthy pokémon, she had opted for the brass one. The one in desperate need. The one without confidence. Insecure. Kind of like her.

Harley gave them his best intimidating glare. Well, Drew was the intended receiver, supposedly, but The Glare definitely touched May too. It only got worse as he turned to Solidad in desperation. "We can't let them leave _alone_ together! _Solidad!_ " Oh, it was impressive how he did that with his voice. But as Drew had implied, there was no help to gain from that direction.

"I think they'll be perfectly fine, Harley." She was just so wonderfully calm. But that 'knowing smirk' was a very unnecessary final touch, and May would have told her so, if only telling would not have solidified the reason for the smirk.

"NO, it will _not_ be fine! Our little girl-" (What were they, her parents?) "-who is so lovely innocent, will not arrive in the state she is now." Scratch earlier embarrassments, she would never live this down. Drew was as serene and blank as always, just letting the Harley-craziness-loves-to-imply-a-relationship wave roll over and leave him, while she had to get all red and frazzled and _drowning_ in it. Perhaps by leaving now...

"That's fine and all, but... we-have-to-go-bye." Grabbing Drew's jacket sleeve, a frantic pull and drag commenced. It was an investment in her future sanity. Drew would just have to go along with it, even if it hurt his dignity. This was _his_ idea in the first place, and here were the consequences. They had made five meters, ten, there was the welcome back-sign – oh she was _never_ coming back – and they would make it for sure.

"May, I will not allow this!" And then there was the purple and green leech, sucking on to her for dear life – or chastity, to be precise. Oh how he _loved_ to humiliate her. Apparently he lived for this.

"I happen to have lots of experience with boys and travelling." That didn't come out wrong, did it? _Lower that eyebrow, Drew!_ "I traveled with Ash, Brock and Max for two years, in case you forgot! And I'm still fine." In fact, her inner peace had never been assaulted with this ferocity in her former company, unlike the present.

"May, you've got to understand. There is a _crucial_ difference between letting you journey on with a pack of boytoys, and letting you leave with your boyfriend." May went Mantra Mode: _Please don't say the difference, don't say it, there is no difference, please don't say the diff-_ "I can't let you travel with someone who's in love with you!"

There was this silence.

But it was not really silent because her heart went really loud with the _thump thump thump_ and they could all probably hear it. Her face was burning and they all knew it. She could not look at him. She could not look at Drew and see blank. And Harley definitely went too far this time, love was _not_ a joking matter!

"That's enough, Harley." Solidad. Best friend, surrogate-journey-mother, voice of Sanity, worker of miracles. "Don't mind Harley, we're leaving too. Just... enjoy your trip." Her voice promised trouble for Harley, and it would have been sweet to see it. On the other hand, as May had just been publicly executed, some silence and alone time would be good. Solidad, with her few words, had concluded the whole conversation, and given them the opportunity to forget – well, ignore – the whole thing.

They set out together, her feet shuffling in the dirt as they went. Silence, blessed as it is, followed them for half an hour. She could have stayed that way all day, happy in her own, _private_ misery.

"May, I know you're thinking of something, so just tell me, whatever it is."

"Am not!" She was _not_ that easy to read!

"May..." Narrow eyes, the serious voice... He wanted a straight answer. What to say? Well... She had this other thing they could discuss. She had a Chikorita now. A not so green Chika. That was a nice and semi-safe topic.

"Drew... I have a new pokémon-"

He did not expect that, if his face was any indication. Surprise never visited him for long though. "You do? What kind?"

"-but the thing is, you can't meet her yet."

"Why?" She just loved that frown. This time – just this once and it didn't happen too often so she deserved it – the conversation was on her terms.

"She's got issues with greenness." So true, with those siblings. Come to think of it, green in general was just so troublesome. Hardly worth the effort.

" _What_?!" He looked extremely affronted, with that nice touch of bafflement. Her laughter began to spill, and his glare intensified.

"Just kidding... maybe." He was still scowling. Perhaps because she couldn't seem to stop giggling. But, in all seriousness... "She is extremely shy. She was even scared of Nurse Joy, you will probably frighten her to death."

His gaze turned dry, but crinkling at the edges. "Why, thank you. I'm now officially a scary person."

"No, just the green. Um... That's actually not true. The Joys are the most benevolent, non-green family in the world, so in comparison, of course you're scary!" Just stating the facts, after all.

"Ok. So, your new pokémon aside, would this greenness be a good thing?" Crooked smile, flipping the upper hand. Or hair. Damn, he was good at it. Well, she had no intention of answering that. She would simply... skip it.

"Anyway, I'll have to condition her with someone less intimidating. Perhaps Glaceon, or Warturtle." Ah, the master of deflection, at work again.

"Okay then. Tell me when she is ready to meet me." Ugh, somehow that sounded like a 'meet the family' thing, which it was _not_. Damn Harley, putting her on edge like that. Everything just sounded so _wrong_ now. Time to escape this conversation.

"I will. I'm working on it... But it will probably take some time, so until then I'll have to be alone with her when we train, and eat and stuff."

Things were somewhat less awkward after that. Hours went by in friendly companionship, and those were some fine, unremarkable hours indeed. Finally alone, and perfectly happy with that, May had found a nice little clearing away from camp, with sheltering thickets and forest around her.

"You can come out now, Chika."

A bright light, and her arms were full of autumn pokémon. "Chi-ka!" Her leaf swayed enthusiastically, reflecting the warmth of the sun.

"Hey you. I have your dinner Sweety." May held the Bayleafean food out temptingly. Chika took some bites, chewing leisurely. "I was thinking, we could perhaps try something new today?"

"Ka?"

A flash went off, quickly followed by several others. Chika cowered against her sweater, and tried to hide inside it, food forgotten. "Aw, don't worry. It's not dangerous, it's just Drew. He likes sparkly techniques." Chika cautiously stuck her head out and followed May's glance in direction of flashes and camp. "See?"

Content again, Chika let out a soft "Chi" as she cuddled close, sun spilling all over them both.

May placed Chika in the grass. "You seem to be done eating." The sad remains of a meal half eaten had joined the baby in between the clovers. "Could you show me your moves, Chika? We ought to start training." Chika eased into a snug position, happily directing a sleepy gaze up to the sky. "Chika? You going to do any attacks?" A yawn was her response. May looked up, trying to spot what was so interesting up there. All she could see was fluffy clouds in the blue. "As honored as I am that you can relax like that with me, could you _please_ do a move?" Chika met her gaze affectionately, and stroked her leaf against May's leg. That was a no, then. Great. No training. No battles. No contests. Not that any of those were possible at the moment anyway, but still...

"Fine. We'll start with the social skills instead. Who do you want to meet first, Glaceon or Warturtle?" Alarm made itself evident in the eyes of one Chikorita, and she protested with a pitiful "chiii". "Too late for that. Glaceon it is."

"Glaceee" May's beautiful ice pokémon made her entry as the star she knew she was. The eyes of one Chika grew comically large, and she cowered in her tufts of grass. A panic attack of autumny razor leaves spurted forth, right into one glacy, foxy face. Glaceon shook the annoying leaves away, and pushed the other pokémon down in the dirt with a paw of vengeance. She must have noticed, however, how the baby quivered beneath her. Her whole stance softened, and she prodded the other with her snout and started an extensive and rather motherly grooming. Chika went from rigid, to compliant, to exceedingly satisfied.

May watched as her pokémon groomed and snuggled each other, and she felt a smug, envious-but-conceding smile surface. Which made sense, in a way. Although she was not included in the bonding time, she had made huge progress. She even got to see an attack, sparkly and unique with brass color. Which was the color of her pokémon at the moment, so that was no huge surprise. Although soon her Chika would be green again.


	5. In Which She's Struck With a Realization

Hi :) Sorry for this late update. I kind of overloaded my poor beta, and then I was late with fixing up the mistakes. With that done, I hope this chapter is good. It would be a lot worse without my beta, reppad98. She's been a great help, and I cannot thank her enough for that :)

With only tree months left to write my master thesis, things are kind of busy. But there is only one chapter left, and I will post that before I (possibly) go completely into good-student mode.

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon.

 **Chapter 5 – In Which She's Struck With a Realization**

With the huge Glaceon integration program being such a success, one would think a kindred soul would be no trouble at all. Wartortle, for all his accomplishments and glory, had after all started out much the same as a dependent, crying Squirtle. Apparently those assumptions were overly optimistic, type advantage and all.

Perhaps deeming her razor leaves inefficient – they had done nothing but irritate Glaceon, after all – Chika opted for a ferocious tackle attack. Fast and determined, she connected solidly with Wartortle's shell upon impact. May was pretty sure her little Chikorita was seeing spinning stars in the blue sky. Her other pokémon turned at the sound of a thump from behind. "Tortle?" The befuddled question quickly morphed into incoherent rambling as Wartortle started fussing over Chika in alarm. In no time the grass pokémon was scooped up and cradled between two stubby arms and a wavy tail. Wartortle continued to croon and swoon over the dazed baby, allowing her no chance to escape the treatment. Chika succumbed to her destiny with an indulgent sigh, leaf swaying happily.

Three days later, May sauntered over with her mood at a peak, a never ending grin – at least for now – and bubbly feelings spilling out around her. "Drew!"

"You don't need to shout. I _can_ hear you."

Snarky comments would not work on her today. They were easily ignored. "Would you like to meet Chika?"

His mouth quirked, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "So. She's ready, then?"

"Probably not." She would have to admit it. It was only fair. "She might attack you-"

"You don't have to sound so enthusiastic about it."

May didn't let his words register, or hardly matter at all. This was the next step in her Chika integration training, and it would be great! "But the last one to be attacked was Wartortle, and it went fine with both Beautifly _and_ Munchlax." Which was all reassurance he really needed, she would think. Drew did not look convinced. Well, as Dawn would say: "No need to worry!" After which she promptly released her pokémon with a determined toss of her ball. It sailed through the air, opening up with a flash. This was probably a terrible idea. What would he say? Was her baby really ready? Could she call Chika back without him noticing?

"Chi... ka?" Drew exhaled sharply, and May almost jumped from the sound. This was it. Chikorita easily spotted Drew, and eyed him warily. That was only fair, May would think. Chika had no reason to trust green beings. She edged closer to May in a sort of discrete but still glaringly obvious fashion. Calmly scouting her surroundings, she probably wanted to squirm under the attention, but kept herself together. Chika's carefree, lax steps casually landed her safely behind her trainer, at a reassuring distance from this new individual.

May scooped her little pokémon up in her arms, and held on to her protectively, but still in full sight of her companion. It was too late to change her mind anyway. "Chika, this is my friend, Drew." Chikorita's mistrustful eyes followed his every movement.

"May. I did not expect... Well, I must say, that's... Congratulations!" He had that lovely baffled look. He actually seemed a bit- but was that possible? Drew was not so easily impressed. Her little Chika seemed to have done it anyway, somehow. How satisfying. On the other hand, Chika was an unexpected sight, maybe that was all there was to it. Strangely, Drew looked miles away from the natural question. _Why isn't she green?_ Then again, he hadn't heard her story. Though in the end, it could not be avoided. It would be better to do a preemptive explanation under controlled circumstances.

"Thanks! She was... sick when I found her, but she seems fine now. I got a recipe from Brock, the same he used for Ash's Bayleaf."

"She must have some amazing attacks." The coordinator dreamworld claimed Drew. She could empathize.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't really know." He looked at her as if she was this strange thing. He had no right to look at her like that! May presented her best glare, although he seemed unimpressed. She huffed. "I'll tell you something, Mr. Oh-So-Great-Coordinator! She's still weakened, so there. And she's extremely lax. She likes to sleep, and snuggle. Mostly the last. I've only ever seen her attacks when forced, like when she used razor leaf on Glaceon." She couldn't help but soften a bit thinking back on the meeting. "But it was beautiful, Drew. All brass. Makes me wonder how a petal dance combination would be. Probably full blown autumn, don't you think?"

"Sounds incredible." He smiled. She felt her frown melt into a smile of her own. Between them was an understanding, something they could share because of what they both loved. They were the same in this one thing.

In the evening, after coaxing Chika to eat, her baby rested in May's arms. The setting sun made Chika positively glow, strong yellow and flaring orange. She looked like a being of fire. There was no trace of green anywhere, no emerald indication that this was a grass pokémon. Chika was not the same as when she was found, because back then her colors had been dull. With treatment and time, she had become fresh, with strong hues. But no green. Something heavy surfaced in May's stomach.

Twelve days since they met. Brock had provided nutrient rich food, and his medicines had yet to fail.

Chikorita would never be green again.

May had been too late. She felt the something inside claw its way upwards. Chika must have lost the ability somehow, the damage was irreversible. May had been stupid. The thing was pressing on her lungs now. She should have known. After all, she had never seen an autumn leaf regain the colors of spring.

Chika was gleaming. Bight colors, wrong colors. It was squeezing her heart. The only change from their first meeting was how they had gradually lost the washed out look, taking on a fresh shine. Wrong pigments. _It_ moved again, tearing, consuming, and she would be lost in it. She deserved it. "You'll never be green. Chika, I'm sorry. So, so sorry. I wish I could help you. I wish you were green." Chika looked up at May from her safe snuggle in her lap. Her brass leaf stroked over May's face. She felt her sadness lessen somewhat. The thing loosened it's hold.

"Why would you want her to be green?" May turned to look at Drew, coming up soundlessly behind her. That sneak.

"Eh?"

"May, you have a Chikorita with an _orange_ leaf. Do you have any idea how rare that is?" He sat down beside her, completely relaxed in the grass. "Don't you think she is much prettier like that anyway?" It meant the world. He accepted Chika, just like she was, and he accepted May's choice. His reassurance. The something retreated back to her stomach. It was all ok, Chika didn't need to be anything else, her color didn't matter. May's own brown tresses fell in her face as she tilted forward, embracing her baby. Color didn't matter. And yet...

"But I want her to be healthy." The thing rushed back. It was clawing at her throat. Maybe it had been there all along, ignored fervently. It would not be overlooked anymore.

"Does she seem sick to you?"

In a brief relief, she could concede. "...No." Her logic quickly caught up. The thing also demanded it, squeezing and prodding until she relented. "But her siblings were so different-"

"Why don't you tell me about it." His eyebrow rose, as he silently prodded her to continue. When she did not, he spoke. "Ilex forest, May. What happened?"

"Drew. I found her-" A lump forming in her throat swallowed her words, and she had to start over. "She was with her family. Her mother ignored her, her siblings... bullied her." _It_ had taken her eyes. They burned, and droplets were dripping down on Chika, who snuggled closer. "They were all so vibrant green and healthy, and they were playing. But Chika wasn't allowed... allowed to be with them. They were gonna leave her when I found them." It had her now. Devouring, hollowing her out until there would be no May left. Deteriorating. Only that night, without help while her baby might be dying, was left. Taking her, festering. Burn, an ace inside, pain was everything, everything was wet. Hurt. "I... took Chika, but she passed out, and I was so scared... Lost. No help. I tried to... treat her. I did. I've done it before. Swablu- But I had no idea, she was gone all night. Alone-" Something. There was something else. "Scared."

There was wet pain. _That_ night. There was warmth. Something in her arms, and something else draping around her. A voice. _You did great. Everything is fine now._ Spinning, drowning. _Chikorita is fine. You saved her. You did great._ Surfacing. _Everything is fine. You are not alone._ Breathing. _You did great._ All around her was wet. Warm wet. Damp skin from her tears, brown strands on her skin and other skin. Clothes and warmth from someone else, holding her. Peripheral green locks of hair belonging to the one holding her. Green... _Drew!_


	6. In Which She Understands

I finally pulled through and finished the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy it :)

Thanks to all who have followed the story! Followers, favorites and reviews are very encouraging, and I've appreciated them all :)

I want to especially thank my beta, Reppad98, who helped me see what could be better, with every chapter, every week. My chapters are all better because of this, and I'm really grateful for that :)

Disclaimer, even though you all know this: I don't own Pokémon.

 **Chapter 6 – In Which She Understands**

Her hand was claimed.

It was taken as of the event of her crying hysterically, locked in a too comfortable prison. Drew held her hand, in the silent aftermath of exposing her weaknesses. Her hand was resting in his, and they were sitting together. Perhaps it was forgotten. Never mind that she had never before been so aware of that particular hand, it was kind of ironic how this must be some subconscious act of care from him. Even though she avoided staring (she could be very subtle), she studied him. She wished for anything, any expression. Of course it was the usual. Placid. Blank. No thoughts raging around like crazy in _his_ head, of course not, and no senses going high-wire with overload.

She should take her hand back. She should definitely do that. Reclaim it. No big movements, just a gentle coaxing and he would not notice. There would be no awkward moments afterwards, no signs of her being anything but indifferent. It was just a touch, and that was all he would see. Or nothing at all, because this was her hand, and it would not expose her feelings. Betrayal of the sort was simply not tolerated. Harley might joke around, but it was not real before she did anything to confirm it, and it would remain a laugh, at her expense. That she could handle. And she could be just as calm as Drew.

Step one: Forcing her hand to relax. Check. Step two: Let it slide casually, slowly away. A small movement was all it took. His hand clamped around hers, it didn't even budge an inch. Damn his reflexes – or whatever it was. Awkwardless freedom, she waved it goodbye as it flew forever out of reach.

Maybe a tiny hint? Not enough to make him aware, but enough to spur his subconscious into action? That was probably the best solution. "I'm fine now. Thank you."

"I know."

Nothing happened.

Maybe she could just ask him to let go. Not like she rejected him or anything (there was nothing to reject, after all). But she would sound presumptuous, and worse, she would acknowledge that she noticed the hand-holding. That would not do. Better let him break the contact. Let him take the brunt of the awkwardness for once. In the mean time, she would just sit there unaffected, enjoying the scenery and company. The warmth of him and the comfort _he_ offered, and wait. It was not as if tiny Beautifly wings were working themselves to a frenzy in her stomach.

Small movements of his thumb burned patterns in her skin, and breathing was getting difficult to maintain at normal levels. "Hey, Maple..." The words were dragged out, almost hesitant, she thought. Although when he turned to her, his smirk was what met her. "How long have you loved me?"

Her whole body jerked, with eyes widening, red flames invading her face – all those responses she had no control over but wished had been squashed and hidden inside. It had been hard, but was now impossible. Her mind could not keep her thoughts, it was too much and overflowing everything, flushing her clean until only the one fact remained: _He knows._

Well, _of course_ he knew. When was she ever able to keep her secrets? They just spilled. From her eyes, mouth, the color of her skin; as a whole, her body betrayed her. Or perhaps Harley. Anyway, it all came down to this: Drew knew.

But perhaps- And she felt her panic drain away a little, leaving behind something else entirely. "You arrogant-" A hand clamped over her mouth, narrow eyes warning her not to finish the sentence. She tore the hand away. "You can't just _assume_ something like that!" His eyes were laughing at her.

"May. Relax." The nerve! And he was definitely amused by this. Her misery, his amusement, apparently. She could not stand it! She simply could not stay here any longer, enduring the mirth of her exposed feelings. May rose up, and started to walk wobbly away. Except he followed, connected to her through a heart shaped knot of hands. His and hers.

She tried to shake him off, but he held on with ease. "Let me go, Drew. Why do you want to know anyway?" His smirk grew to impossible proportions, for some reason. He still waited. Amused. And green, green eyes. Her realization struck seconds later: She had all but confessed. Her frustration had led her to confirm, or at least to acknowledge the feelings. Not even anger could cover this up. It was over. What exactly she wasn't entirely sure. At least this shared journey – they had only managed a few days, after all, before everything blew up. Perhaps the tentative friendship - it would be hard on her from now on, and awkward on his part. Maybe their rivalry, it was only the foundation of their whole connection. Why not tear this twisted relationship up with the roots and be done with it? "Fine! It's fine, I'll tell you... You've been important to me almost right from the start. I didn't realize why before I met Brianna. You can let go of me now."

"It would happen eventually, don't you think?" His almost wistful expression, directed at the forest or nothing, was infuriating. She had just wrung out her feelings, the _least_ he could do was respond to it! And did he really think he was _that_ great, that she would just fall for him no matter what? She had some integrity, damn it! She was more than a squealing, drooling fangirl. May tried to pry her hand away. Of course she was entirely unsuccessful. "Stop that, May." Drew looked with disapprovement down on the freedom fighting hand. "I'm talking about us."

She had no answer to that. She was pretty sure she missed the meaning behind the words. What was the significance behind the word 'us'? Shattered friendship, perhaps. He didn't look sad, or even possessing one speck of regret. Their friendship had meant the world to her.

Drew went on spinning thoughts she had a hard time to grasp. Heart shaped knot and words, perhaps they could fit somehow. "It's good to be alone together. Harley really knows how to put a strain on others business. Especially lately." Except the Harley induced embarrassment only targeted _her_. Teasing her, really. Boytoys. Something _romantic_ going on. Boyfriend. _In love with you._ "I've known for some time, too." He turned from the forest to her, and the blank dissipated. Drew was sun and smile and spring and warmth. He was close, and she could hear her heart, or perhaps it was his, fast and loud, contrasting slow movements and quiet understanding.

A ferocious baby tackle attack separated their tentative connection, sending them stumbling back a step. "Chi _ka_!" The message was clear: This pokémon was _done_ being ignored.

"Chikorita! That was not nice!" Chika ignored the indignant reprimand of her trainer. She jumped right into May's arms with a little cry of victory, where she settled in, all the while sending Drew a dirty look. May hoped beyond hope that her smile was not as sheepish as it felt. "At least she's not afraid of your greenness anymore..."

Drew would stay very close to May in the days after that. It was such a contrast to his normally stoic self, so May had trouble coping sometimes. He was not blank once, but instead keeping their eyes locked, smiling, but more often smirking like a satisfied Skitty. One time she caught him blushing – faintly, because this was Drew, and he never let himself become indignifying red like her. She was blushing a lot. She feared that the burning sensation in her skin, accompanied by the red (which Drew so kindly pointed out _every_ time), was becoming permanent company. The disadvantage of her new complexion – easy teasing target – was worth the gain. When her hands became nervously restless, he simply grabbed them, letting one go after a while but keeping the other. She smiled, and it was easy. She could lean on him, sitting in the grass with him, arms circling around her. Their pokémon would play and nurture Chika, or doing combinations, trying to impress and surpass each other.

A look of utter betrayal greeted them as May and Drew strolled hand in hand into Violet City. The days of after-breakdown-getting-together peace were definitely over. "Hi, Harley. Solidad, it's so good to see you." May tried for an innocent, ignorant smile. If Harley's face was anything to go by, it didn't work. Solidad, too, didn't seem surprised, a knowing tug on her lips. But May didn't mind that so much anymore. Harley, on the other hand, was a storm cloud looming. They had thought the ferocious protection of her chastity had been a joke. Apparently not so.

Words were ground out between clenched teeth. "Show us your new pokémon, May."

"Huh?" Pokémon? What did Chika have to do with their new relationship? She looked to Drew for guidance, but he was just as confused. No help at all.

"Your new pokémon. Which you didn't even _mention_ last time. Which you _deliberately_ kept from us." Harley was rabid, and even Solidad was no help, just standing there, waiting and observing.

With narrow and flashing eyes, Drew came to her rescue. "I hardly think it was your right to know, since May, as the trainer, chose to not tell you."

Reason might work. May tried to keep calm in the onslaught. How did they know about Chika, anyway? "She was scared, and still weak. I decided to wait 'til she was stronger to introduce her."

"But you can do it now, right? Show us your new pokémon." Harley gave her no room to argue. May huffed, but decided to comply. It was just easier that way, unless she wanted a Cacturne monster on her heels for days to come.

"Yes. Fine." May spotted a copy of Coordinator's Weekly, waved wildly around with every grand gesture Harley did. It was a wonder she didn't see it before. In one swift motion, she released Chika while snatching the magazine.

 _'_ _Shiny Supreme! The Princess of Hoenn has reached the stars with her new Chikorita!'_

On the front cover was the picture of idyll. A girl sat in the grass with a baby pokémon in her lap, both looking serene and smiling to the camera. The sun came through the trees, falling on them both, giving the impression of a glowing Chikorita.

"Well, this certainly puts the word 'pressure' in a new light." She felt strangely empty. "Shiny." The word rolled off her tongue, rang true in the air. _Shiny._ She hadn't thought of that. The implications... It was too great. _Stupid._ She was so stupid, and Drew was looking at her all astonished because he _knew_ , and he had assumed she knew also. But she hadn't, and it was stupid. She had _seen_ Ash's Noctowl, for heaven's sake!

And there was more. Possibly. Probably. Chika had not turned autumn because she was abandoned. She had been made an outcast because she bore the autumn colors. Born different. Not able to blend in with her surroundings.

She had probably been healthy from the start, only weakened by neglect and harassment. She felt the need to punch something. Hard. Like the laws of nature, if only they had been solid, tangible objects. She looked back at the picture. Her Chika. A healthy, radiating beautiful Chikorita. Healthy... No health issues. She felt a tiny smile tug at her lips. No need to worry. _Actually_ no need. There was no more looming shadow in her mind, prodding her and reminding her how the color was wrong, how Chika must somehow still be sick or lacking the proper nutrients. She was fine. Healthy. The smile grew into a grin, morphing over to a beaming sunshine.

The troublesome color green would give her sorrows no more. Chika was fine, and at the moment retaliating to Harley-enthusiasm with beautiful brass leaves. A teasing nudge from Drew told her that spaced-out time was over for now. She could see his eyes were all mirth, still the brilliant emerald. And May realized she would be dealing with that particular color for a long time to come, and sometimes he would prove troublesome. Holding his hand, she decided that this was not at all a bad thing.


End file.
